heroic
Americanadjective
-
Also heroical of, relating to, or characteristic of a hero or heroine.
- Antonyms:
- cowardly
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suitable to the character of a hero in size or concept; daring; noble.
a heroic ambition.
- Antonyms:
- cowardly
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having or displaying the character or attributes of a hero; extraordinarily bold, altruistic, determined, etc..
a heroic explorer.
-
having or involving recourse to boldness, daring, or extreme measures.
Heroic measures were taken to save his life.
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dealing with or describing the deeds, attributes, etc., of heroes, as in literature.
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of the heroes of antiquity.
heroic mythology.
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used in heroic poetry.
- Synonyms:
- epic
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resembling heroic poetry in language or style; grandiloquent.
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(of style or language) lofty; extravagant; grand.
-
larger than life-size.
a statue of heroic proportions.
noun
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Usually heroics heroic verse.
-
heroics,
-
flamboyant or extravagant language, sentiment, or behavior, intended to seem heroic.
-
heroic action or behavior.
-
adjective
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of, like, or befitting a hero
-
courageous but desperate
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relating to or treating of heroes and their deeds
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of, relating to, or resembling the heroes of classical mythology
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(of language, manner, etc) extravagant
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prosody of, relating to, or resembling heroic verse
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(of the arts, esp sculpture) larger than life-size; smaller than colossal
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RC Church
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held to such a degree as to enable a person to perform virtuous actions with exceptional promptness, ease and pleasure, and with self-abnegation and self-control
heroic virtue
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performed or undergone by such a person
the heroic witness of martyrdom
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Other Word Forms
- heroically adverb
- heroicalness noun
- heroicity noun
- heroicness noun
- nonheroic adjective
- nonheroical adjective
- nonheroically adverb
- nonheroicalness noun
- nonheroicness noun
- pseudoheroic adjective
- pseudoheroical adjective
- pseudoheroically adverb
- quasi-heroic adjective
- quasi-heroically adverb
- superheroic adjective
- superheroically adverb
- unheroic adjective
- unheroical adjective
- unheroically adverb
- unheroicalness noun
- unheroicness noun
Etymology
Origin of heroic
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin hērōicus, from Greek hērōïkós “of, pertaining to a hero”; hero + -ic; compare late Middle English heroical, heroicus
Explanation
Heroic means having the qualities of a hero, such as bravery. Maybe on your daily walk, you see a house on fire, and you run into the flames repeatedly to save the family and their pets, including the fish! That’s heroic. Literature offers many examples of heroic characters, who by their strength or their wiles or both overcame almost impossible obstacles. In Greek mythology, Hercules was given seven seemingly impossible tasks that he completed with heroic daring, Achilles was a warrior whose accomplishments in battle were heroic, and Odysseus showed his heroic qualities as he conquered monsters and men in his journey home.
Vocabulary lists containing heroic
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3
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Positive Words to Describe a Person
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The effects have been so strong that the Fed, in a heroic feat of ex post facto rationalization, has begun to think of asset prices as another transmission mechanism for its balance-sheet policy instrument.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
“I am extraordinarily thankful to the heroic people that pulled me from the car and to the warm, kind and talented staff at the hospital that cared for me and got me on the mend!”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026
The school's 140 students as well as "our amazing staff, our courageous teachers, and our heroic security personnel" were all accounted for and safe, according to the statement.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
But on Tuesday, Washington was hardly an opponent that required heroic efforts to topple.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026
He wasn’t compelled to offer stuttering apologies for trespassing or to make a hasty, panicked retreat in the heroic fashion of his parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
